US Fed Meeting LIVE: FOMC holds key rates steady at 4.25-4.50%
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The US Federal Reserve announced its first policy decision for 2024 after a two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting today and voted unanimously to hold the benchmark interest rates unchanged at 4.25 – 4.50 per cent, broadly in line with Wall Street estimates.
This is the first interest rate decision of the US central bank since Donald Trump took charge as the 47th US President on January 20. US Fed had lowered the key overnight interest rates by a full percentage point in the final months of 2024.
In the December policy meeting, US Fed policymakers voted 11 to 1 to slash the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (bps) or (1/4) quarter of a percentage point to 4.25 – 4.50 per cent, in line with Wall Street estimates. That was the US central bank’s third straight interest rate cut of 2024 and the second straight 25 bps rate cut after the November decision.
US Fed chair Jerome Powell-led rate-setting panel now envisions only one or two rate cuts in 2025 after the latest US inflation prints revealed that consumer prices still remain ‘somewhat elevated’ in the world’s largest economy.
The US Federal Reserve has a dual mandate to act independently and keep inflation and employment in check, primarily by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. Experts believe that under Trump’s presidency, there has been a distinct shift in the dynamics between the administration and the US Fed.
After raising the policy rate by 5.25 percentage points since March 2022 in one of the swiftest Fed reactions to combat the worst outbreak of inflation in 40 years, the central bank has held the rate on hold since July 2023 to anchor in high inflation and consistently bring it down toward the two per cent target range.
Stay tuned to LiveMint for all the latest updates on the US Fed policy outcome today
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Fed to ‘wait and see’ what Trump’s policies are: Powell
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The US Federal Reserve will wait to see how President Trump’s policies affect the economy, Fed chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday, shortly after policymakers voted to pause rate cuts.
“We’re going to wait and see,” Powell said in response to a question about how the Fed was considering Trump’s economic proposals, which include the imposition of new tariffs and the mass deportation of undocumented workers.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Fed’s Powell says he has not had contact with Trump
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday said he has had no contact so far with President Donald Trump, and declined to comment on Trump’s remark last week that he would demand lower interest rates from the central bank.
“I’m not going to have any response or comment whatsoever on what the president said,” Powell said at a press conference following the US Fed’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged. “I’ve had no contact”.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Powell says ‘not appropriate’ to comment on Trump request for rate cuts
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday he would not respond or comment on President Donald Trump’s recent remarks that he would demand lower interest rates. Speaking to reporters, Powell said “it’s not appropriate for me to do so,” adding that he has not had contact with Trump. “Fed will ‘wait and see’ what Trump’s policies are,” he added.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: FOMC says ‘job market solid’, inflation ‘elevated’
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The US Fed reduced its rate last year to 4.3 per cent from 5.3 per cent, in part out of concern that the job market was weakening. Hiring had slowed in the summer and the unemployment rate ticked up, leading Fed officials to approve an outsized half-point cut in September. Yet hiring rebounded last month and the unemployment rate declined slightly, to a low 4.1 per cent.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street extends losses after US Fed holds rates steady
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US stocks added to losses on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq down more than one per cent, after the US Fed held interest rates steady and gave little insight into when further reductions in borrowing costs may take place.
Stocks were lower before the announcement, with tech heavyweights, including Nvidia and Microsoft leading the way down. The decision to hold the policy rate steady was widely anticipated following three consecutive rate cuts in 2024 that reduced the Fed’s benchmark rate by a full percentage point.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Fed Chair Powell says no hurry to adjust rates
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday the US central bank does not need to rush to adjust interest rates, after pausing cuts in its first decision since President Donald Trump returned to office. “We do not need to be in a hurry to adjust our policy stance,” Powell told reporters, saying the world’s biggest economy remains solid.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: How Trump tariffs may impact policy decisions
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said it is harder to gauge where inflation is headed, in part because of increased uncertainty around what policies Trump will adopt and how quickly they will affect the economy. Trump has promised widespread tariffs, tax cuts, and mass deportation of immigrants, all of which could push prices higher. The Fed typically keeps interest rates high to slow borrowing and spending and cool inflation.
The Trump administration has also said it will carry out mass deportations of migrants, which could push up inflation by reducing the economy’s ability to produce goods and services. At the same time, some economists say Trump’s promises to deregulate the economy could lower prices over time.
When Trump imposed tariffs on a limited number of imports in 2018 and 2019, Fed economists expected the biggest impact to fall on economic growth, with the inflationary impact being relatively minor. As a result, when growth did slow, the Fed ended up cutting its key rate in 2019, rather than raising it to fight off any inflationary impact.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Fed to assess incoming data for further rate cuts
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Recent key inflation readings remain about half a percentage point or more above the US Fed’s target. US Fed officials say they largely believe the progress in lowering inflation will resume this year but have now put rates on hold as they await data to confirm it.
“Economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace. The unemployment rate has stabilized at a low level in recent months, and labor market conditions remain solid,” the central bank’s policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement after the end of its latest two-day meeting.
“In considering the extent and timing of additional adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will carefully assess incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks,” it said.
The unanimous decision to keep the overnight interest rate in the current 4.25 per cent-4.50 per cent range, coupled with the new statement, puts the Fed in a holding pattern as officials await further inflation and jobs data and clarity on the impact of President Donald Trump’s policies.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Treasury yields rise after Fed drops inflation progress language
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Treasury yields rose on Wednesday after the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady and gave little insight into when further reductions in borrowing costs may take place.
After several months in which inflation data have largely moved sideways, the US central bank dropped from its latest policy statement language saying inflation “has made progress” towards the Fed’s two per cent inflation goal, noting only the pace of price increases ” remains elevated.
The two-year note yield, which typically moves in step with Fed interest rate expectations, was last up 4.8 basis points on the day at 4.255 per cent. Benchmark 10-year yields rose 3.6 basis points to 4.58 per cent. The yield curve between two-year and 10-year yields was at 33 basis points.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: FOMC statement
US Fed Meeting LIVE: FOMC held the key rates steady after cutting it three times in a row last year, a sign of a more cautious approach as the US Fed seeks to gauge where inflation is headed and what policies President Donald Trump may pursue. The US Fed reduced its rate last year to 4.3 per cent from 5.3 per cent, in part out of concern that the job market was weakening.
Hiring had slowed in the summer and the unemployment rate ticked up, leading Fed officials to approve an outsized half-point cut in September. Yet hiring rebounded last month and the unemployment rate declined slightly, to a low 4.1 per cent.
In its statement Wednesday, the Fed upgraded its assessment of the job market, calling it “solid,” and noting that the unemployment rate “has stabilized at a low level in recent months.”
The Fed also appeared to toughen its assessment of inflation, saying that it “remains somewhat elevated.” Both a healthier job market and more stubborn inflation typically would imply fewer Fed rate cuts in the coming months.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Fed policymakers voted unanimously to hold key rates steady in first decision of Trump presidency
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The US Federal Reserve left its key lending rate unchanged Wednesday, resisting pressure from President Donald Trump to continue cuts in the first interest rate decision since his return to office.
Policymakers voted unanimously to hold the Fed’s benchmark lending rate at between 4.25 per cent and 4.50 per cent, the US Fed said in a statement, adding: “The unemployment rate has stabilized at a low level in recent months, and labour market conditions remain solid.”
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Powell-led FOMC holds benchmark interest rates steady at 4.25-4.50% in first policy verdict of 2025
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday and gave little insight into when further reductions in borrowing costs may take place in an economy where inflation remains above target, growth continues, and the unemployment rate is low.
After several months in which inflation data have largely moved sideways, the US central bank dropped from its latest policy statement language saying that inflation “has made progress” towards the Fed’s two per cent inflation goal, noting only that the pace of price increases “remains elevated.”
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Chip stocks mixed with DeepSeek shock, US Fed, earnings in focus
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Semiconductor stocks were a mixed bag on Wednesday, with European chip stocks rallying on strong earnings while US stocks including Nvidia fell as investors continued to assess the potential threat from China’s low-cost DeepSeek artificial intelligence tool.
On Wall Street, the Philadelphia semiconductor index struggled for direction but was last down 0.4per cent. The broader S&P 500 tech index fell 1.9 per cent, with a big drag from AI chip leader Nvidia which was down more than six per cent.
Nvidia rose 8.9 per cent on Tuesday following a 17 per cent fall on Monday, a record one-day market value loss, after DeepSeek’s AI tools emerged as challengers to incumbents such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, while signalling that development costs may sink.
DeepSeek launched a free AI assistant last week that overtook OpenAI’s ChatGPT downloads on Apple’s App Store, while the cost and performance of its tools upended industry beliefs that China was years behind US rivals in the AI race.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Canadian dollar dips as BoC rate cut adds to interest rate divergence
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The Canadian dollar weakened against the greenback on Wednesday as the Bank of Canada’s latest interest rate cut helped widen the gap between Canadian and U.S. bond yields, but the decline was limited ahead of a Federal Reserve policy decision.
The loonie was trading 0.2 per cent lower at 1.4420 per US dollar, or 69.35 US cents, after trading in a range of 1.4393 to 1.4471. The BoC reduced its key policy rate by 25 basis points to three per cent, cut growth forecasts and warned Canadians that a tariff war triggered by the UScould cause major economic damage.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: D-Street to react to US Fed decision tomorrow
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd said,
“Markets managed to inch higher despite volatility, gaining nearly 1% amid mixed cues. Nifty saw sharp fluctuations in early trade but gradually strengthened, closing near the day’s high at 23,163.10.
Most key sectors contributed to the recovery, with realty, IT, and energy leading the gains. However, the session’s highlight was the strong rebound in broader indices, which surged between 2.3 per cent and 3.4 per cent.
Market participants will react to the US Fed meeting outcome in early Thursday trades, followed by the focus shifting to the January derivatives expiry. On the benchmark front, Nifty is recovering amid choppy conditions and approaching its critical resistance at 23,300 (20 DEMA).
A decisive close above this level could extend the recovery, while failure to do so may trigger profit-taking. Given the current rebound, traders should maintain a cautious stance and prefer hedged positions.”
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Gold prices hold steady as investors await US Fed policy cues
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Gold prices remained steady on Wednesday, as investors awaited the US Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates due later in the day. They also focused on US President Donald Trump’s trade policies following his tariff threats.
Spot gold eased 0.2 per cent to $2,756.49 per ounce by 12:16 p.m. ET (1716 GMT), while US gold futures rose 0.1 per cent to $2,770.70, widening the premium over spot gold rates. Elsewhere, spot silver gained one per cent to $30.70 per ounce; platinum also added 0.6 per cent to $947.30. Palladium was up 0.9 per cent to $963.23.
Gold prices neared all-time highs last week after Trump called for lower interest rates. Bullion tends to thrive in a low-interest-rate environment as it yields no interest. Prices retreated sharply on Monday as a sell-off in technology stocks, driven by Chinese AI model DeepSeek, sparked a rush to liquidate bullion to counter losses.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Tech majors drag Wall Street ahead of US Fed policy
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq slipped on Wednesday, as losses in tech heavyweights Apple and Nvidia pressured broader gains and cautious investors braced for the US Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision, expected later in the day.
At 11:23 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 18.05 points, or 0.04 per cent, to 44,868.40, the S&P 500 lost 21.63 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 6,046.03, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 136.74 points, or 0.69 per cent, to 19,596.84.
Seven of the 11 S&P 500 sectors were trading higher, although information technology dropped 1.4 per cent, overshadowing gains. Nvidia fell 4.6 per cent after rising close to nine per cemt on Tuesday.
Its shares were hammered on Monday, after Chinese startup DeepSeek launched AI models it said were cost-effective and ran on less advanced chips compared to OpenAI. Apple shed 0.6 per cent after brokerage Oppenheimer downgraded its rating to “perform” from “outperform”. The iPhone maker is scheduled to report quarterly earnings later this week.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street drifts ahead of the US Fed’s rate decision
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US stock indexes are drifting on Wednesday, ahead of the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates and after two days of disruption driven by doubts about the artificial-intelligence boom.
The S&P 500 was down 0.3 per cent in afternoon trading on a packed day that will also include earnings reports from influential companies like Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Tesla after trading closes.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 27 points, or 0.1 per cent, as of 12:20 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6 per cent lower.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Tech stocks lift Europe’s STOXX 600 to record high; US Fed in focus
US Fed Meeting LIVE: European shares closed at a record high on Wednesday, boosted by technology stocks following strong results from chip equipment maker ASML, while investors shifted their focus to a monetary policy verdict by the US Federal Reserve.
The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.5 per cent, logging its biggest one-day jump in more than one week. The technology sector led gains with a 2.5 per cent jump, making it the biggest daily rise in three weeks. ASML jumped 5.6 per cent after the Dutch company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter bookings of 7.09 billion euros ($7.39 billion).
The chip equipment maker’s earnings also reassured investors that AI chip prospects were still healthy, as they recovered from a selloff earlier this week sparked by the release of China’s DeepSeek’s model, which uses less computing power than those of rivals.
Other semiconductor stocks STMicroelectronics, BE Semiconductor and ASM International gained between 0.8 per cent and 3.1 per cent. Other AI-exposed stocks such as Schneider Electric and Siemens Energy, which took a hit on Monday, were trading 4.7 per cent and 4.9 per cent higher, respectively.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US stocks fall on Fed day with eyes on tech earnings
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Stock traders took some risk off the table ahead of the Federal Reserve decision, with a trio of tech heavyweights kicking off the megacap earnings season just days after DeepSeek rattled markets.
The S&P 500 fell ahead of results from Meta Platforms Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Tesla Inc. A gauge of the “Magnificent Seven” megacaps dropped one per cent, with Nvidia Corp. coming under renewed pressure. Apple Inc. slipped after an analyst downgrade.
ASML Holding NV surged after booking orders worth twice as much as analysts expected. Treasuries and the dollar barely budged.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US stocks diverge, US dollar steady before US Fed rate decision
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Equity markets diverged Wednesday as attention turned away from recent turbulence in tech stocks to the outlook for interest rates, with the Fed and the ECB both holding their first major meetings of the year.
In late morning trading in New York, the Dow was little changed, while the wider S&P and the tech-heavy Nasdaq were lower. In Europe, London and continental bourses mostly rose, except Paris, which was dragged down by poor results from luxury group LVMH, Europe’s largest company by market value.
While the US Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged at its Wednesday meeting, investors were awaiting US Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s post-meeting comments, given President Donald Trump’s pressure to lower rates.
Trump’s plans to slash taxes, restrict immigration, and impose tariffs could reignite inflation and, therefore, keep borrowing costs higher for longer—even if the president has told the independent Fed that he wants lower rates.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US stocks fall on Fed day with eyes on tech earnings
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Stock traders took some risk off the table ahead of the Federal Reserve decision, with a trio of tech heavyweights kicking off the megacap earnings season just days after DeepSeek rattled markets.
The S&P 500 fell ahead of results from Meta Platforms Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Tesla Inc. A gauge of the “Magnificent Seven” megacaps dropped one per cent, with Nvidia Corp. coming under renewed pressure. Apple Inc. slipped after an analyst downgrade. ASML Holding NV surged after booking orders worth twice as much as analysts expected. Treasuries and the dollar barely budged.
The S&P 500 fell 0.3 per cent. The Nasdaq 100 dropped 0.3 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1 per cent. The yield on 10-year Treasuries as little changed at 4.53 per cent. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index wavered. The loonie remained lower after the Bank of Canada cut rates, but dropped guidance on any further adjustments to borrowing costs.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US dollar firms as investors await US Fed interest rate decision
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The US dollar was firmer against major currencies on Wednesday as investors awaited the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision and clues on the trajectory of interest rates this year. The US Fed is widely expected to hold interest rates steady at the end of its first policy meeting of the year.
Markets price two 25-basis-point cuts from the Fed this year but do not expect the first easing until June. The US dollar and other major currencies have been under pressure as investors weigh the impact of US President Donald Trump’s anticipated tariff policies.
The dollar strengthened 0.23 per cent to 0.906 against the Swiss franc. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar weakened 0.29 per cent to 155.07. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, rose 0.03 per cent to 107.95.
The index touched a one-month low on Monday at 106.96 amid a global selloff in technology stocks and rush to safe-haven currencies such as the Japanese yen and Swiss franc, but the index is still up more than four per cent since the US election in November.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Indian rupee traded flat ahead of US Fed policy
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst – Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities said, “The rupee traded flat near 86.50 as market participants remained cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s policy decision. With uncertainty surrounding the US Fed’s stance, currency traders held back from aggressive moves, keeping volatility subdued.
Additionally, focus remains on India’s upcoming budget announcement, which is expected to set the tone for foreign investment and economic growth. Any major policy changes could impact rupee sentiment in the near term. The rupee’s trading range is expected to remain between 86.25 and 86.80.”
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Eurozone yields steady, focus turns to Fed and ECB
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Euro zone bond yields were little changed as traders caught their breath ahead of the Federal Reserve’s meeting later in the day and the European Central Bank’s on Thursday. Looming US tech earnings and lower crude prices werealso in focus. Germany’s 10-year yield, the benchmark for the euro zone, was last flat at 2.557 per cent, broadly in the middle of its recent range.
Investors will be watching chair Jerome Powell’s press conference to gauge how he is processing the latest inflation figures, US President Donald Trump’s early economic policies, and this week’s tech-led equities selloff.
The 10-year US Treasury yield was last at 4.524 per cent, two basis points (bps) lower on the day. The ECB is expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points when it meets on Thursday as policymakers look to boost a sluggish economy.
Wednesday data showed bank lending to firms in the 20-nation euro zone picked up last month, a sign that recent rapid interest rate cuts have started to flow through to the real economy. Major tech earnings due after Wednesday’s close could also move the dial for European bonds.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: CANADA STOCKS-TSX rises to near seven-week high after Bank of Canada’s rate cut
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Canada’s main stock index rose on Wednesday, led by mining shares, as investors cheered the Bank of Canada’s decision to cut interest rates by a quarter percentage point. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.3 per cent at 25,502.94, its highest level since December 12.
The Bank of Canada cut its key policy rate by 25 basis points to three per cent, lowered its growth forecast to 1.8 per cent in 2025 from the 2.1 per cent predicted in October and warned Canadians that a tariff war triggered by the US could cause major economic damage.
Wednesday’s decision was the sixth consecutive time the Bank of Canada lowered interest rates, reducing them by two percentage points over seven months. On Tuesday, the White House said US President Donald Trump still plans to hit Mexico and Canada with tariffs on Saturday.
Later in the day, the US Federal Reserve is expected to end a three-meeting run of rate cuts and stay on hold, but investors will be eager to get a sense of what it makes of Trump’s eventful first nine days back in charge. Since resuming office, Trump has expressed his desire for lower rates and reiterated that he believes the US Fed should consider his views.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Fed’s dovish stance to support Indian markets, says SKI Capital’s Narinder Wadhwa
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Narinder Wadhwa, Managing Director and CEO of SKI Capital, comments ahead of the upcoming US Fed policy verdict:
“The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is widely expected to maintain the current rate. While rate cuts generally support risk assets, India’s attractiveness will depend on factors such as domestic economic growth, geopolitical stability, and corporate earnings. Persistent global uncertainties or better returns in other emerging markets could still lead to outflows,” said Wadhwa.
“FPIs could concentrate investments in sectors like IT, pharmaceuticals, and export-oriented industries that might benefit from a weaker rupee due to a rate-cut-driven dollar weakness. Indian equities are currently trading at premium valuations compared to peers. This could deter FPIs, especially if they find cheaper opportunities in other markets. India’s relatively high inflation and fiscal concerns could make it less attractive despite the global easing cycle.
The Fed’s tone regarding future rate cuts will matter. A dovish stance could support Indian markets, while concerns about global economic slowdown or uneven growth may deter FPIs from taking on risk in emerging markets,” he added.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Fed chair Jerome Powell to address post-policy press conference after FOMC statement
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Traders widely expect the US Fed to steady the federal funds rate. If they’re correct, it would be the first time the Fed has done so since it began lowering rates in September to boost the economy.
After the US Fed announces its decision, US Fed Chair Jerome Powell will address a post-policy press conference and speak with reporters, where he could give hints about whether the central bank envisions more rate cuts this year.
In December, the Fed helped send US stocks to one of their worst days of 2024 after indicating it envisions cutting the fed funds rate just twice in 2025, down from an earlier projection of four times. Lower rates can goose the economy by making borrowing cheaper, raising corporate profits.
They can also boost investment prices, but the downside is that they could provide more fuel for inflation. Worries have been climbing that inflation may be difficult to fully subdue to the Fed’s two per cent target, particularly with uncertainty about tariffs and other policies potentially coming from US President Donald Trump.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street drifts ahead of the Fed’s rate decision and Big Tech reports
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US stock indexes are drifting on Wednesday, ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates and after two days of disruption driven by doubts about the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
The S&P 500 was down 0.2 per cent in morning trading on a packed day, which will also include earnings reports from influential companies like Microsoft, Meta Platforms and Tesla after trading closes.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 79 points, or 0.2 per cent, as of 10:25 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5 per cent lower. Nvidia fell 3.7 per cent Wednesday after plunging nearly 17 per cent Monday and then jumping nearly nine per cent Tuesday. It was the heaviest weight dragging the S&P 500 lower, even as the majority of stocks within the index rose.
The Big Tech companies reporting their latest results after trading ends will likely get questions from analysts about whether DeepSeek’s discovery will mean lower investment from them in building out AI.
Such answers could help guide the next jagged move for the industry, which was instrumental in the S&P 500’s rallying to back-to-back yearly gains of more than 20 per cent for the first time since before the millennium. Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Tesla all fell ahead of their reports, weighing on the market.
But before hearing from them, Wall Street needs to get past another potential market mover. The Federal Reserve will announce in the afternoon what it will do with the federal funds rate, which controls how much banks charge for overnight loans.
Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market ahead of the Fed’s decision. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.52 per cent from 4.53 per cent late Tuesday. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe. ASML’s stock jumped 7.4 per cent in Amsterdam after announcing strong revenue on demand for its advanced chipmaking tools. In Asia, where many markets were closed for holidays, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose one per cent.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Treasury Yields dip before US Fed meeting statement
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Treasury yields fell before the Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates steady at the conclusion of its two-day meeting later on Wednesday, with investors focused on any clues when a rate cut is likely.
Stronger economic growth and uncertainty over the impact of policies, including tariffs that are expected to be implemented by the Trump administration, have led traders to pare expectations on how many more times the US central bank will cut rates.
Fed funds futures traders see the next rate cut as likely in May, but not fully priced in until June, with 50 basis points of cuts in total expected by year end. With Wednesday’s meeting unlikely to offer many surprises, US Fed Chair Jerome Powell may discuss topics including when the Fed will wind down its quantitative tightening program.
Powell is also expected to face questions on how Trump’s policies will impact the Fed’s rate decisions, but he may be unlikely to offer any details when the outcome is highly speculative. Meanwhile data on Thursday showed that the US trade deficit in goods widened sharply in December, likely as businesses front-loaded imports in anticipation of broad tariffs from Trump’s new administration.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street drifts ahead of the US Fed’s rate decision and Big Tech reports
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US stock indexes are drifting on Wednesday, ahead of the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates and after two days of disruption driven by doubts about the artificial-intelligence boom.
The S&P 500 was down 0.2 per cent in morning trading on a packed day, which will also include earnings reports from influential companies like Microsoft, Meta Platforms and Tesla after trading closes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 44 points, or 0.1 per cent, as of 10 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5 per cent lower.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Gold prices hold steady as investors await US Fed policy cues
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Gold prices remained steady on Wednesday, as investors awaited the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates due later in the day. They also focused on US President Donald Trump’s trade policies following his tariff threats.
Spot gold eased 0.2 per cent to $2,758.49 per ounce by 09:55 a.m. ET (1455 GMT), while US gold futures rose 0.3 per cent to $2,775.60, widening the premium over spot gold rates. Elsewhere, spot silver gained 1.7 per cent to $30.92 per ounce, platinum also added 0.5 per cent to $946.45.
Palladium was up 0.8 per cent to $962.50. Gold prices neared all-time highs last week after Trump called for lower interest rates. Bullion tends to thrive in a low-interest-rate environment as it yields no interest.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US stocks diverge, US dollar firmer before US Fed rate decision
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Stock markets diverged Wednesday as attention turned away from recent turbulence in tech markets to the outlook for interest rates, with the Fed and the ECB both holding their first major meetings of the year.
The Dow was up slightly in early New York trading, while the wider S&P and the tech-heavy Nasdaq were lower. In Europe, London and continental bourses all rose, except Paris which was dragged down by poor results from luxury group LVMH, Europe’s largest company by market value.
US stocks took a hammering Monday, with chip giant and market darling Nvidia collapsing almost 17 per cent, after China’s DeepSeek unveiled a chatbot that apparently matched the capacity of US artificial intelligence pace-setters for a fraction of the investments made by American companies.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: S&P, Nasdaq retreat ahead of US Fed, big tech earnings
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street stocks mostly fell early Wednesday ahead of a Federal Reserve decision on interest rates and earnings from Microsoft, Tesla and other tech heavyweights. Investors were in wait-and-see mode ahead of the rate decision from the US central bank.
While there is broad consensus that the Fed will leave interest rates unchanged, Chair Jerome Powell will likely be asked about pressure from Donald Trump to cut them.
The earnings from tech heavyweights — IBM and Facebook parent Meta are also releasing results — come on the heels of revelations about China’s DeepSeek that have raised questions about the lofty valuations for US artificial intelligence stocks.
About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.1 percent at 44,879.49. The broad-based S&P 500 dipped 0.3 per cent to 6,048.45, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.6 per cent to 19,615.12.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street stocks, US dollar steady ahead of tech earnings, US Fed meeting
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The US Fed is widely expected to end a three-meeting run of rate cuts later and stay on hold, but investors will be eager to get a sense of just what it makes of new US President Donald Trump’s eventful first nine days back in charge.
European shares climbed to a record high as strong results from Dutch chip equipment maker ASML sent its stock soaring eight per cent and hoisted the wider tech sector up 3.4 per cent. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, rose 0.24 per cent.
The 10-year US Treasury yield was at 4.52 per cent, three bps lower on the day. European yields dipped with the ECB expected to cut its rates again on Thursday, while the yen nudged higher to 155.34 per dollar after Bank of Japan meeting minutes pointed to more rate hikes there.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Chip stocks set for recovery after DeepSeek shock; Nvidia drops
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Chip stocks in the US and Europe rose on Wednesday for a second straight day, recovering from a punishing selloff triggered by China’s low-cost DeepSeek artificial intelligence tool at the start of the week.
Shares of AI chip leader Nvidia, however, slipped 2.7 per cent to $125.44 and weighed on the Nasdaq. The stock ended 8.9 per cent higher on Tuesday, but was well below Friday’s close of $142.62 and record high of $153.13 on January 7. European tech stocks jumped, partly fuelled by a nearly eight per cent surge in ASML after the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker reported a large rise in new bookings.
An index of European tech stocks surged 3.2 per cent, powered by ASML, while chipmakers BE Semiconductor and ASM International added 3.5 per cent and 5.4 per cent, respectively. Gains were more modest in US peers such as Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA Corp which rose between 0.9 per cent and two. The Philadelphia chip index edged up 0.1 per cent.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Fed expected to hold rate steady despite Trump pressure to cut
US Fed Meeting LIVE: After three interest rate cuts, the US Federal Reserve is expected signal it will remain on pause until the data changes, resisting pressure to continue cuts in the first rate decision since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Analysts expect the Fed to sit tight and wait to see how the economy evolves, and what impact Trump’s tariff and immigration policies could have. The US central bank has a dual mandate from Congress to tackle both inflation and unemployment, primarily by raising or lowering its benchmark short-term lending rate, influencing borrowing costs for consumers and businesses.
The US economy is going fairly well with robust growth, a more-or-less healthy labor market, and relatively low inflation which nevertheless remains stuck above the Fed’s long-term target of two per cent.
The Fed’s rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted to lower its key lending rate by a full percentage point between September and December 2024 to between 4.25 and 4.50 percent.
Futures traders overwhelmingly expect the Fed to remain on pause this month, and assign a probability of close to 70 percent that it will extend its hold at the next rate meeting in March, according to data from CME Group.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Fed entering tough period for measuring money market liquidity
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The US Federal Reserve, which wraps up its latest monetary policy meeting on Wednesday, is about to enter one of the more challenging periods of managing what most observers believe is the approaching endgame for its balance sheet drawdown.
That’s because even as the Fed is expected in coming months to get financial sector liquidity down to levels that will allow it to stop rolling off expiring Treasury and mortgage bonds from its balance sheet, it will be hard to try to get a handle on how tight liquidity is, according to Reuters.
Why? The US government debt ceiling is again an issue and until that’s resolved and borrowing can rise, the current cap will affect Treasury bond issuance in a way that will obscure already difficult efforts to gauge money market liquidity, according to Reuters.
The Fed, since 2022, has been allowing bonds to run off and not be replaced in an effort called quantitative tightening, or QT. That’s lowered US central bank holdings from a peak of about $9 trillion to the current mark of $6.9 trillion.
The Fed is aims to pull out excessive liquidity to allow for ongoing firm control of the federal funds rate, its primary tool to influence the economy’s momentum, and permit normal levels of money market volatility.
Fed officials are also seeking to avoid the tumult seen in markets in September 2019 when the previous version of QT unexpectedly hit the wall and forced the central bank to start adding liquidity back into markets. To ward off a replay, Fed has slowed the pace of QT, adopted new tools for fast liquidity provision, and created new public ways to measure market liquidity.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Nifty 50, Sensex rally for second day, gain nearly one per cent each; Small-caps rebound sharply
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Indian markets closed higher for the second consecutive trading session on January 29, driven by strong buying in IT and banking stocks. Additionally, value buying in the broader market contributed to the positive momentum. The drop in crude oil prices also helped the bulls maintain control of the market during the session.
The Nifty 50 ended 213.50 points higher, or with a 0.93 per cent gain, at 23,170, while the BSE Sensex finished the session at 76,583, up 0.90 per cent (or 682 points) from Tuesday’s close. The broader market rebounded sharply, with the Nifty Midcap 100 index gaining 2.32 per cent to 52,724, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index ending the session even higher, with a gain of 3.32 per cent at the 16,540 level.
The sharp correction in the broader market in recent sessions has sent many stocks into oversold territory, leading to some pullback in trade. Twenty-five constituents of the Nifty Smallcap 100 ended the session with gains ranging from five per cent to 20 per cent. Inox Wind emerged as the top gainer with a 20 per cent gain, followed by Gujarat Mineral Development with a 13 per cent gain.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: FOMC to keep rates unchanged, June and December 2025 may see a 25bps cut each, says ICICI Bank
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the US Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged in its policy announcement on Wednesday night (IST), according to a report by ICICI Bank.
The report suggested that the Fed will likely maintain a neutral stance on its monetary policy outlook as it assesses the economic conditions in 2025. It said “FOMC is expected to start 2025 by keeping rates unchanged while providing a neutral guidance on the outlook”.
After cutting interest rates by a total of 100 basis points (bps) in 2024 to support economic activity, the Federal Reserve is now expected to start 2025 without making any further changes. The FOMC meeting began on January 28 and will conclude on January 29.
The report noted that the labour market has also improved, with steady hiring and a stable unemployment rate in the last quarter of 2024. Earlier concerns about a slowdown in job growth during the first half of 2024 have now eased. The FOMC may acknowledge these positive developments in its policy statement.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street set for muted open as markets await US Fed verdict; Apple, Nvidia falter.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street’s main indexes were on track for a subdued open on Wednesday, as losses in tech heavyweights Apple and Nvidia kept broader gains in check and investor attention turned to the US Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision, due later in the day. Markets widely expect the central bank to hold its lending rate steady in its decision, expected at 2 pm ET.
At 8:27 am ET, Dow E-minis were down 71 points, or 0.16 per cent, S&P 500 E-minis were down 12.25 points, or 0.2 per cent, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up eight points, or 0.04 per cent. Nvidia dropped two per cent after gaining close to nine per cent on Tuesday.
Its shares were hammered on Monday, after Chinese startup DeepSeek launched AI models it said were cost-effective and ran on less advanced chips. Apple shed 1.8 per cent after brokerage Oppenheimer downgraded its rating to “perform” from “outperform”. The iPhone maker is scheduled to report quarterly earnings later this week.
The Nasdaq jumped two per cent in the last session, while the S&P 500 rose close to one per cent as Nvidia and other artificial intelligence-linked tech shares recovered somewhat from the steep losses suffered earlier in the week. Markets have been on edge due to worries around US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, which could exacerbate inflationary pressures and slow rate cuts.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Fed rate pause to not affect 10-year bond yield: Kotak’s Shrikant Chouhan
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Shrikant Chouhan, Head of equity research at Kotak Securities commented on the upcoming US Fed interest rate verdict:
“In today’s FOMC meeting, it is widely understood that the Fed is not expected to cut interest rates. This decision should not affect the 10-year bond yield or the dollar index. Instead, the market will pay closer attention to the Fed’s comments on the economic outlook, which will likely prompt a reaction from investors,” said Chouhan.
“If the Fed were to cut rates, it would lead to a significant response in the bond market, subsequently impacting the dollar index. However, if rates remain unchanged, current bond yield levels, coupled with strong bonds, will continue to attract capital inflows into the US economy while causing outflows from emerging markets. We anticipate that the pace of these outflows will remain slow,” he added.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US futures mixed ahead of US Fed, Big-tech earnings
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US stock futures fluctuated as traders awaited earnings from a trio of big-tech companies and the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision. Contracts on the Nasdaq 100 were little changed, while futures on the S&P 500 dipped 0.2 per cent. While shares of T-Mobile US Inc. rallied seven per cent in premarket trading on strong results, other big tech names like Nvidia Corp, Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp were trading lower.
The yield on 10-year Treasuries was little changed at 4.53 per cent. Traders will be scouring results from Microsoft, Meta and Tesla Inc. later for signs of weakness after Chinese startup DeepSeek’s cheaper AI model rattled markets. While the US Fed is widely expected to hold rates, Chair Jerome Powell is likely to be pressed on the inflationary impact of potential trade tariffs and other policies from President Donald Trump’s White House.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street mixed ahead of the US Fed’s rate decision
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average both shifted between small gains and losses before the bell. Futures for the technology-heavy Nasdaq jumped 0.3 per cent. US Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in December that the central bank has entered a “new phase,” in which it expects to move more deliberately. Fed officials halved their projection for 2025 rate cuts from four to two. Wall Street wants lower rates because it fuels economic growth and boosts stock prices.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Tech reboot lifts European stocks to record high ahead of US Fed meeting
US Fed Meeting LIVE: European shares climbed to a record high as strong results from Dutch chip equipment maker ASML sent its stock soaring nearly 11 per cent and hoisted the wider tech sector up 4.5 per cent. The parts of Asia that were not on Lunar New Year holidays had gained overnight too and Wall Street futures were on up again too ahead of the trio of “Magnificent 7” earnings.
Investors seemed to have papered over the global rout suffered on Monday when the emergence of lower-cost Chinese AI model, DeepSeek, wiped more than half a trillion dollars off Nvidia’s value alone. More than half of that has now been recouped though and with the Fed also looming on the horizon, currency and bond markets were mostly in a holding pattern.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Wall Street mixed ahead of the US Fed’s rate decision
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Anxiety over a Chinese startup’s threat to American artificial intelligence dominance eased somewhat Wednesday as focus turned to the US Federal Reserve’s rate decision due later in the day.
Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average both shifted between small gains and losses before the bell. Futures for the technology-heavy Nasdaq jumped 0.3 per cent.
Dutch semiconductor company ASML on Wednesday announced record revenue of $9.7 billion, reflecting strong demand for its advanced chipmaking tools despite recent concerns about AI spending raised by Chinese-developed DeepSeek. ASML shares surged 5.3 per cent.
Shares of Nvidia, whose chips are powering much of the move into AI and whose stock has become a symbol of the surrounding frenzy, were off about one per cent on Wednesday. On Tuesday, it recouped a chunk of Monday’s 17 per cent plunge.
When the Fed wraps up its meeting later Wednesday, the widespread expectation is that the US central bank will leave the federal funds rate alone after raising it three times at the end of last year.
The Fed remains focused on getting inflation back down to its two per cent target. Its preferred measure is currently at 2.4 per cent, though core prices — considered a better gauge of where inflation is headed — rose 2.8 per cent in November from a year ago.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in December that the central bank has entered a “new phase,” in which it expects to move more deliberately. Fed officials halved their projection for 2025 rate cuts from four to two. Wall Street wants lower rates because it fuels economic growth and boosts stock prices.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Tech reboot lifts European stocks to record high ahead of US Fed meeting
US Fed Meeting LIVE: World markets were looking calmer on Wednesday as the week’s rollercoaster ride for stock markets morphed into wait-and-see ahead of the Federal Reserve’s first rate meeting of the year and results from Microsoft, Meta and Tesla .
The US Fed is widely expected to end a three-meeting run of rate cuts later and stay on hold, but investors will be eager to get a sense of just what it makes of new US President Donald Trump’s eventful first nine days back in charge.
European shares climbed to a record high as strong results from Dutch chip equipment maker ASML sent its stock soaring nearly 11 per cent and hoisted the wider tech sector up 4.5 per cent.
Investors seemed to have papered over the global rout suffered on Monday when the emergence of lower-cost Chinese AI model, DeepSeek, wiped more than half a trillion dollars off Nvidia’s value alone.
More than half of that has now been recouped though and with the Fed also looming on the horizon, currency and bond markets were mostly in a holding pattern.
The 10-year US Treasury yield was at 4.52 per cent, three bps lower on the day. European yields dipped with the ECB expected to cut its rates again on Thursday, while the yen nudged higher to 155.37 per dollar after Bank of Japan meeting minutes pointed to more rate hikes there.
Oil prices eased slightly, with Brent crude oil futures dipping to $77.18 per barrel, taking its drop over the last 12 days to nearly seven per cent. US West Texas Intermediate crude sagged to $73.39 after a similar slide.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Bets on big treasuries rally are booming before Fed decision
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US Treasuries held onto recent gains ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision as traders ratcheted up bullish bets in hope that Chair Jerome Powell will signal a cut in March is firmly on the table.
Yields were little changed across the curve on Wednesday, with two-year rates hovering around the lowest level in more than a month, as the market awaited Powell’s afternoon press conference for clues on the outlook for policy. The US central bank is overwhelmingly expected to keep rates steady this week, though swaps are pricing in a roughly 30 per cent chance of a cut in March.
Traders have a lot riding on Powell’s remarks. Expectations for further easing climbed to start this week during a tech-driven stock rout, and the risk-off vibe produced a wave of wagers on Treasuries gains. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s latest client survey, released Tuesday, shows the biggest net long position in US government debt in almost 15 years.
Hedging for a possible March rate cut makes sense after December’s cooler-than-expected inflation print and Fed Governor Christopher Waller’s comment that easing by mid-year is possible. The big question mark, of course, remains President Donald Trump’s tariff plans and their impact on the economy.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: US dollar steadies ahead of US Fed rate decision
US Fed Meeting LIVE: The US dollar steadied on Wednesday ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s policy decision. Investors are on edge for hints of how much interest rates might fall this year, while they broadly expect the central bank to keep policy unchanged for now.
Expectations that trade policies under President Donald Trump could boost U.S. growth, but also push up inflation, fuelled bets on higher-for-longer interest rates in the lead-up to the inauguration, supporting the dollar. But as the tariff action investors had braced for has yet to materialise, currency markets have been volatile since Trump took office and the dollar has weakened.
Markets on Wednesday turned their attention to the outcome of the first Fed meeting of the year – less than a week after Trump said he wanted the central bank to cut interest rates. The dollar index, which measures the dollar against a basket of other major currencies, was up 0.2 per cent at 108.13.
The index touched a one-month low on Monday at 106.96 amid a global selloff in technology stocks and rush to safe-haven currencies like the Japanese yen and Swiss franc, but the index is still up more than four per cent since the US election in November.
Money markets expect the central bank to hold rates steady, as Fed officials weigh how the Trump administration’s economic agenda may affect sticky inflation and solid growth trends. But investors will be attentive for any hints from Fed Chair Jerome Powell on whether a rate cut could happen soon if inflation eases closer to the Fed’s two per cent annual target.
Markets fully price two 25 bps cuts from the Fed this year, but do not expect the first easing until June. The euro traded 0.3 per cent lower at $1.0399, while the pound fell 0.24 per cent to $1.2413.
Bank lending to firms in the euro area picked up last month, indicating that rapid interest rate cuts have started to flow through to the real economy, European Central Bank data showed on Wednesday.
The yen strengthened slightly, leaving the dollar down less than 0.1 per cent on the day at 155.38, after giving up some of this week’s safe-haven gains on Tuesday. Although tariffs did not materialise on Trump’s first day in office, attention has turned to Saturday when the US president is expected to issue 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Gold strikes fresh all-time high of ₹83,750 per 10 gm amid renewed buying
US Fed Meeting LIVE: Gold prices rallied ₹910 to hit a fresh all-time high of ₹83,750 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday due to heavy buying from jewellers and retailers, according to the All India Sarafa Association.
The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity had settled at ₹82,840 per 10 grams in the previous trading session. The bright metal had jumped ₹4,360 or 5.5 per cent to ₹83,750 per 10 grams from ₹79,390 per 10 grams on January 1.
Snapping a two-day losing run, gold of 99.5 per cent purity also surged ₹910 to hit a fresh peak of ₹83,350 per 10 grams on Wednesday. The yellow metal finished at ₹82,440 per 10 grams on Tuesday. Silver climbed ₹1,000 to ₹93,000 per kg from ₹92,000 per kg in the previous trading close.
In futures trade on the MCX, gold contracts for February delivery rose ₹228 to hit a fresh lifetime high of ₹80,517 per 10 grams. Also, contracts for April delivery climbed ₹199, or 0.2 per cent, to hit a fresh peak of ₹81,098 per 10 grams for the first time on Wednesday.
Silver futures for March delivery advanced ₹105, or 0.12 per cent, to ₹91,156 per kg from the previous close of ₹91,051 per kg on Tuesday. Globally, Comex gold futures traded flat at $2,794.70 per ounce. However, Comex silver futures in the Asian market hours quoted higher at $30.99 per ounce.
According to Kotak Securities, “With the Fed’s first policy meeting of the year wrapping up later on Wednesday, investors are laser-focused on any signals from US Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech that may offer clues on the outlook for the next gathering in March”.